


lonely christmas

by pricc



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Presents, Thanos (Marvel) Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 12:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17022924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pricc/pseuds/pricc
Summary: Stephen planned to spend this Christmas alone. His friends don't agree with this.





	lonely christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying so hard to overcome this writers block. I just found out about this ship and it quite interests me.

Stephen had planned on being alone this Christmas, like many others before.

Even when he had control over his godforsaken hands and he and Christine were on friendly terms, he'd be without anyone on the happiest day of the year. On Christmas eve, he got an invitation from Tony to a party.  _It'll be fun! Do you have anything better to do? If you plan on being alone, I swear-_

Stephen didn't know what came after that, for he destroyed the device that held the holographic message.

On Christmas day, he was off to sleep -- probably for the best. He hadn't slept in about a week, for the magical issues of Earth had many needs -- when the dodoorbell rung. Cursing, he got up and went to the door.

He stared at the massive pile of gifts in front of the Sanctum. There was a small note on the ground:  _I told you I'd get the big guns -tony_

Stephen scoffed, and brought the presents inside. The first one was from Tony, which was a bottle of whiskey. He wasn't big on drinking, but hell, a bottle from 1920 could change that. The second gift was from Peter Parker, which was not actually for him, but for the cloak. It was a pack of little 3D sticker beads that the cloak stuck all around itself till it was shining with fake gems. The third present was labeled to be from the Guardians,  which he had met on the journey to defeat Thanos. It was a very old mixtape with some jamming tunes on it.

Stephen then turned to the giant gift that he couldn't even fit through the door. He had to portal it in. The tiny card said  _from thor n loki 💕_. This made him hesitant to open it. Loki? That was usually a bad sign. But if Thor helped, it couldn't be that bad... right?

He slowly unwrapped the bow and ribbon, but before he could start on the gift wrap, it exploded. The smoke cleared to reveal.... Loki. Great.

Stephen gave Loki a smile that didn't reach his tired eyes. "Let me guess. You picked the short straw." Loki replied, "actually, we did the quick speaking of the term not it." He then noticed Stephen's appearance. "How long has it been since you slept?"

"Well, I just woke up." Loki gave him a shriveling glare. "A week..."

"Strange, we are concerned for your health. You've had little to no sleep in a week. Besides, I didn't say not it because I wanted to stop by. Now, you are going to sleep." 

Ignoring Stephen's protests, Loki dragged him to his room, and the cloak bound him to the bed. "Traitor," Stephen grumbled.

"Go to sleep. It'll go away if you do." The cloak slipped off, leaving the room. Stephen made no move to get up or leave. Not surprising. The man had been working non stop for an entire week, and magic of such high degree and high demand required aat least a bit of rest. With surprising gentleness, Loki pulled a blanket over Stephen and said, "If you don't go to sleep, I'll get Tony to stab you after I murder you." Okay, not as gentle. But it was warmer. Nice.

Stephen didn't want to leave him in the Sanctum by himself, with no supervision, but he couldn't fight the growing wave of sleepiness that overtook him.

* * *

"Don't move, or I will  **cut** **your head off!** "

Great. Stephen vaguely recognized the voice as his friend Wong. The Wong who also didn't know that Loki wasn't currently trying to kill him in his sleep. Stephen bolted up to see Wong levitating Loki halfway through an amber portal, which was dangerously close to closing. "Wong, calm down!"

Wong continually stared at Loki angrily. "Now look what you've done, he's awake!" Loki spat, "well, if you weren't threatening to kill me so loudly, he never would have waken!"

"If he never wakes up, that means you want him to die!"

Stephen snorted, in which the two men looked at him. "Why are you laughing?" He just smiled and lamented, "You two are idiots." He helped Loki out of the portal, the two connecting hands for about 4 seconds. It felt like forever. 

_His hands are so soft. But also so cold._

_His hands are trembling. Why didn't I notice that before? Do I scare him?_

They disconnected, still looking at one another. Wong silently was most likely judging the two men, then smiled. "Oh, I see. Stephen's new partner, you must be?"

Stephen and Loki stared at him in shock, both stuttering incoherent gibberish. "I- wwh- n-"

Wong, with his shit eating grin, just walked out the room. "Have fun~"

When he left, Stephen stammered, "God, he's an idiot, don't mind him, I just-" He was interrupted by a slow, warm, yet unsteady voice. "Do I frighten you, Stephen?"

Stephen didn't have an answer. This was the first time that he could remember since meeting Loki that he was called by his first name. This unsettled him. Sure, Loki was a danger to Earth in the beginning, but he didn't seem too bad now. "No, why?"

"Your hands. They shake and I thought it might have been because of me."

Stephen could feel each and every single destroyed fragment of nerve in his hands almost explode. He had figured out. The first one to do so that Stephen didn't already tell. He sat on the bed, entire body shaking. His hands shook even worse than usual. Loki sat down next to him. "You don't have to tell me."

"Yes," Stephen murmured emotionlessly, "yes I do."

"I used to be a doctor. A surgeon to be exact. That's where the Doctor in my alias comes from. I was cocky, arrogant, even more so than I am now." There it was again, the smile that didn't reach his eyes. The joking tone that could be used at a funeral. "I would only see patients that could afford me. I could have saved countless lives. But they didn't have the money. I was driving one day along some scenic mountainside. It was honestly very nice. I had a fast car and I was reckless on the road. Then," his voice cracked. "I was looking at my phone, and I crashed. My hands were on the steering wheel, and the glass from the window just went right into my hands. I had countless procedures done to try to fix it. I became obsessed with healing myself, even though there was no scientific way. I became a sorcerer to fix my hands. I can do that, but being sorcerer supreme takes a lot of power, and I can't be wasting it on my mistakes."

He stared at his scarred, trembling hands with a dark look filled with more hatred than any person should carry. But Loki understood it wasn't just the hands he hated. It was himself.

"Stephen, I doubt you want to hear some bullshit about how it wasn't your fault and stuff. It was. But that was the past. This is the present. You can't be spending all your time brooding on the past when you've got a whole future ahead of you."

"I lost all my friends. Colleagues. Christine." He let out a shaky sob, and let his tears filled with years of held back sorrow flow. Loki gave him a hug, and there they were, sitting, hugging and crying. 

 _It's now or never,_ a little devil in the back of Loki's head spoken. The little devil he usually listened to, unfortunately.  _Are you crazy? He's in pain and insecure. This would be the worst time to reveal my feelings._

_Nonsense. He's out of it and suffering. He needs you. Go ahead._

_No, I don't want to._

_When have I ever steered you wron-_

This mental conversation was broken up by a incredibly soft press on his lips.  The little devil was most likely sneering.  _Told ya so!_

Loki wasn't listening. Someone playing death metal couldn't have taken him out of this trance.  _Stephen... kissing me? He likes me?_

Stephen finally pulled away to take a breath and smile. "I've wanted to do that for a while now." 

"Me too."

So there they sat, in a comfortable silence, finally falling asleep together.

Stephen is now a big fan of the holidays.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it, comments are highly appreciated!


End file.
